Extortionist wounds five

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]Five persons were injured when a man, identified by the public as close to the police, threw a grenade to escape capture when his demand for protection money from a shop on Second Cross Street at Mamangam in Batticaloa town, incensed bystanders who tried to apprehend him, said sources in Batticaloa.

The incident occurred Sunday evening around 7:30 p.m Among the injured were two women.

The man had claimed to be a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), but the public had been suspicious and set upon him, said sources.

Though the man escaped, members of the public claim that they can identify him.

A similar incident occurred two weeks ago, but despite having identified the man and complained to the police, he was not arrested, said sources.

They claim that the man operates with the connivance of the police who share a portion of the funds he extorts from shopkeepers in the area as protection money.